Choose seasonal if…
- You love the look of custom G30 globe lights
- You want your trees wrapped
- You want a big, classic Christmas display
- You mostly light up for Christmas
Are permanent Christmas lights worth it in Calgary?
Permanent vs seasonal Christmas lights, compared honestly by a company that installs both: custom seasonal displays we build, and Govee Pro permanent kits you buy and we install.
The short answer
They're worth it if you'll use them for more than Christmas. If you mostly light up for the holidays, love the big-bulb look or want your trees wrapped, seasonal lights usually suit you better.
Seasonal lights
What's good
- The classic glowing roofline: G30 globes in your colours
- Change the design every year
- Tree wraps, our signature
- We build, hang and take down everything
- Our 5-year warranty, with our setup and takedown service
Worth knowing
- Up for the Christmas season, then taken down
- Installed again every fall
Permanent lights (Govee Pro)
What's good
- Up all year, in any colour from your phone
- A one-time install: no ladders every fall
- You own the kit
Worth knowing
- Pot-light style: they shine down from under the eaves, not a glowing-bulb roofline
- Under the eaves only: trees are still seasonal wraps
- Installs mid-Sept – Nov only (about 10°C or warmer)
- Covered by Govee's own warranty, not ours
Choose permanent if…
- You own the home and plan to stay
- You'd light up for more than Christmas
- You want warm white or security lighting all year
- You'd like to buy the lights yourself and have them installed properly
Or do both
- Permanent lights under the eaves
- Seasonal wraps on the trees
- One family-run team of Elves for all of it
Seasonal or permanent: an honest comparison.
We install both, so we don't mind which you pick. Here's how they really differ.
| Compare | Seasonal | Permanent |
|---|---|---|
| Look | The classic glowing roofline: G30 globes in your colours | Downward pot-light style: small lights mounted under the eaves that shine down, like pot lights along the soffit |
| Your design | Change the colours and layout every year | Fixed once installed; colours change in the app |
| Service | Installed and taken down for you, every season | A one-time install of the kit you buy |
| Warranty | Our 5-year warranty, with our setup and takedown service | Govee's own warranty, not ours |
| Cost | $7/ft in your first year, when we build your lights; $2/ft each year after, plus takedown in spring | You buy the Govee Pro kit; installation is $5.85/ft, once. Two-storey homes usually need a boom lift ($100) |
| Who owns the lights | You do: we buy and custom-build them for you | You do: you buy the kit, and we advise on which kits and how many |
| Install season | Early Bird mid-Sept – end of Oct, peak Nov – mid-Dec | mid-Sept – Nov only (needs about 10°C or warmer) |
| Takedown | Every spring, in the month you prefer | None: they stay up |
| Year-round use | The Christmas season | Every holiday, Stampede, game nights and birthdays |
| Ladder work | Our Elves, every season | Once, then never |
| Trees | Yes, our signature | Under the eaves only: trees are still seasonal wraps |
| Best for | A big, classic Christmas display and tree wraps | Owners who want year-round lighting without a full premium permanent system |
Two more things people ask
Do permanent lights handle Calgary's cold?
Govee Pro is sold for permanent outdoor installation; for its ratings, check with Govee or your retailer. What we can tell you: it has to be installed when it's about 10°C or warmer, so permanent installs run mid-September through November only. Seasonal G30 strands are hung in the fall and taken down in spring, when conditions are right.
Do permanent lights look like traditional bulbs?
No. The classic glowing-bulb roofline is our seasonal G30 globes on custom-built strands. Govee Pro permanent lights are small lights under the eaves that shine down, like pot lights along the soffit, and they're nearly invisible by day. Plenty of customers do both: permanent under the eaves, seasonal wraps on the trees.
What do seasonal and permanent lights cost over 5 years?
For one 100 ft roofline in Calgary, seasonal lights from us come to about $2,060 to $2,240 over 5 years, against a one-time $520 to $650 to install permanent lights, plus the Govee Pro kit. The kit's price isn't ours and isn't included in these figures: you buy it yourself, from a retailer like Costco.
| Year | Seasonal | Permanent |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $770 – $890 | $520 – $650 + your kit |
| Year 2 | $320 – $340 | $0 |
| Year 3 | $320 – $340 | $0 |
| Year 4 | $320 – $340 | $0 |
| Year 5 | $320 – $340 | $0 |
| Total over 5 years | $2,060 – $2,240 | $520 – $650 + your kit |
- Seasonal: year 1 is the lights we build for you (yours to keep), installation and the spring takedown. Each year after is installation (the $250 minimum) and takedown, reusing the lights.
- Permanent: a one-time installation for a bungalow, no boom lift, then no takedown and nothing each year after.
- Worked out by our estimator from a typed 100 ft (90 to 110 ft), no breaks or dormers, in Calgary (no travel charge), each figure rounded outwards to the nearest $10. Your final quote comes after the Elves review your home on Google Street View and your photos, using these same rates.
Before you decide.
Are permanent Christmas lights worth it?
Permanent Christmas lights are worth it in Calgary if you'll use them for more than Christmas: on a 100 ft roofline, installing them with us is a one-time $520 to $650 plus the Govee Pro kit you buy, while seasonal lights are $770 to $890 in the first year, takedown included, then $320 to $340 each year after. Over 5 years, seasonal comes to about $2,060 to $2,240 with us, against the one-time $520 to $650 plus the kit for permanent. The kit's price isn't ours and isn't included in these figures: you buy it yourself, from a retailer like Costco. If you mostly light up for the holidays, love the big-bulb look or want your trees wrapped, seasonal lights usually suit you better.
What's the difference between seasonal and permanent lights?
Seasonal lights are custom G30 globe displays our Elves build, hang each fall and take down in spring. Permanent lights are Govee Pro smart lights that you buy and own, which our Elves install once under your eaves, where they shine down like pot lights; you control them from an app for any occasion, all year. Permanent installs run mid-September through November only, because they need temperatures above about 10°C.
How much do permanent Christmas lights cost in Calgary?
Permanent Christmas lights in Calgary cost $5.85/ft of roofline to install with us, plus the Govee Pro kit, which you buy yourself, so the kit's price isn't part of ours. Two-storey homes usually need a boom lift, which adds $100, and each roofline break or dormer adds $30. The $250 minimum installation charge applies too, and there's no takedown or yearly charge: the lights stay up. Your final quote comes after the Elves review your home on Google Street View and your photos, using these same rates.
Can I still have my trees wrapped?
Yes. Permanent lights go under the eaves. Trees and bushes are still seasonal wraps, and plenty of customers do both.
Keep exploring
Our services
- Residential Christmas light installationCustom-built G30 globe rooflines for Calgary homes.
- Christmas tree light installationBranch wrap, globe wrap, columnar and evergreen tree wraps.
- Christmas light removal and takedownSpring takedown in the month you prefer, prepaid if you like.
- Commercial Christmas lightsStorefronts, offices, HOAs and condo complexes.
- Permanent lights: Govee Pro installationWe install Govee lights: you buy the Govee Pro kit, our Elves install it properly.
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